Gass walks away from game
Courtesy Edmonton Journal:
Middle linebacker A..J. Gass has decided to retire before his medical chart grows to the size of the Los Angeles phone book.
The Eskimos will make it official today at a news conference for one of the most popular players to wear Green and Gold in recent memory.
“I’ve put my body through a lifetime of abuse,” Gass said Thursday. “I’ve been playing football since I was eight. That’s 24 years of wear and tear. And I’m not a big guy. I’m usually the smaller guy in every battle, so it wears on you a bit.
“Physically, at times, I feel like I’m in my mid-50s.”
Gass, 32, anchored the Edmonton defence for the better part of a decade. He will remain with the team as an assistant coach on defence.
His laundry list of injuries over the years includes a concussion, ripped cartilage between sternum and ribs, a blood clot in his right hand, a ruptured artery in his right hand and torn ligaments in both knees.
“I go out and shovel snow, I come back in, and three hours later, I’m achy,” he said. “My knees hurt when I’m going up and down the steps. My fingers are a mess. My neck has been bothering me from an injury last season.
Read More…
Leave a Reply